


steel & sweetness

by redbrunja



Category: Hidden Legacy Series - Ilona Andrews
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21843748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbrunja/pseuds/redbrunja
Summary: Alessandro was shacked to the wall, naked.
Relationships: Catalina Baylor/Alessandro Sagredo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	steel & sweetness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mystarsandmyocean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystarsandmyocean/gifts).



Alessandro was shacked to the wall, naked. The chains that bound him glowed with circle-work that blocked his ability to summon. On his right, standing far out of reach, was a truthseeker from House Lin, and standing to his left, close enough to kiss, was his torturer.

They thought that if they hurt him enough, he’d crack, spill his secrets under the pressure of the truthseeker’s mind.

A mistake.

He was an antistasi Prime. This was childsplay. This had been a lesson in his training, from before he’d needed to shave. He could resist the truthseeker until they both died of old age, and all the pain did was keep him alert. 

It was laughable, that they thought this was enough to break him, and Alessandro did laugh. 

No need to spare their feelings.

The torturer pulled her lips back in a soundless snarl, slashed across his left pec in a fit of pique.

He’d been here just over a day, and they were already slipping?

The torturer turned, tossed her knife on a nearby tray, and rustled through her instruments, metal chiming gently against metal. Behind her, the door opened. 

One of the guards held the door open, ushering Catalina through.

She was wearing a cream colored coat, her blade a silver flame in her hand, her wings spread wide, her feathers the glorious blue-green on the Mediterranean. 

_Angelo mio._

One smooth motion of her hand, and the truthseeker’s head was separated from his shoulders.

The pressure against Alessandero’s mind abated instantaneously and he went limp in his chains.

Next to him, the truthseeker’s eyes were wide and blank. She was helplessly caught in Catalina’s magic.

“Go find my sister,” Catalina ordered. “Answer every question she asks.”

And then Catalina was before him, cupping his face, her hands soft and cool, her face crumpled with worry. She had the softest heart.

“It’s just a scratch,” he promised. “I’m fine.”

She unfastened his wrists and he put his arms around her.

“I’ve dreamed of this,” he whispered in her ear, the scent of her hair intoxicating, and then a sweet darkness rose up and carried him away.

* * *

Alessandro woke to a sunny morning, in a comfortable bed. Given that Catalina had rescued him and there were deer antlers as part of this bedroom’s decorating motif, he assumed he was back in Linus Duncan’s mansion.

He rubbed a hand over his face. There was a lassitude clinging to his bones that felt familiar, from previous magical healings.

He was still naked, and when he checked his chest, the cut had turned into a barely-perceptible pink line. His wrists were unbruised, and all the other after-effects of his capture had been brushed away.

He would like to lounge in bed for a few more days but since Catalina was nearby and wouldn’t be joining him, he kicked off the covers and wandered into the ensuite bathroom.

After a shower, he dried off and then wrapped the towel around his waist. His mouth tasted stale and he focused on that, on needing to fix that, and a toothbrush appeared in his hand.

That small act made him woozy. He needed to rest before he’d be any use in a fight but Alessandro was relieved that there wasn’t any other effects from his captivity.

He ran his hand through his hair a couple of times, checking in the mirror to make sure that his curls were attractively tousled and then headed downstairs.

He padded into the kitchen.

Catalina was sitting on a stool next to the breakfast bar, focused on the tablet in her hand. She looked up. Her mouth dropped open and roses bloomed in her cheeks as her gaze caught on his chest.

“You’re awake,” she said and Alessandro come to stand next to her.

“That’s the second time you’ve saved me,” Alessandro murmured, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear. “How can I ever thank you?”

Catalina swayed toward him and then visibly forced herself to lean away.

“Linus and Nevada found out who ordered your kidnapping,” she said, forcing her voice to be level. “I’m sorry-” she took a deep breath. “It was your uncle. He’s being held by the Texas Assembly-”

“He’s in custody?” Alessandro interrupted.

Catalina nodded, put her hand on his shoulder, stroked his arm. She thought he needed to be calmed, that this was upsetting news. She didn’t know that he’d been chasing his uncle across countries and continents. She didn’t know that this meant he’d finally, finally, reached the end. He could stop. His sister could stop. He could quit killing, quit pretending.

(He’d made another instagram, months ago, unconnected to the one that had his name on it. He’d seeded it with bland photos for months before following Catalina. She’d followed him back after a week and he wasn’t sure if she’d suspected it was him or not. The series of photos of tea might have tipped her off. He could make another one, set it to private. He could post selfies of him and Catalina, cute photos of her dog. If, of course, she finally agreed to go on a date with him.) 

Alessandro felt his future unfurl before him, like an open road.

He leaned forward, took Catalina’s mouth with his. She melted against him, mouth opening sweetly. She ran her hands over her sides, and then turned her head away. Alessandro kissed her neck and she moaned.

“You’re upset,” she tried to insist. 

“About my uncle?” he clarified. “I’m ecstatic. I’ve been trying to get that man behind bars for years.”

Catalina shook her head. “It’s not real, what you’re feeling,” she tried, seemingly unaware of the way she was pressing herself against him.

“Catalina,” Alessandro said, teasing. “Haven’t we already tested that?”

Catalina looked up at him, her mouth deliciously pink, both of them clearly remembering their scorching kisses at the Houston Opera Admiration Society Gala. Her wings open and glowing, his mouth on her soft breasts, and then he’d walked out of the bathroom after she’d ordered him not to.

“I know you’re afraid of, _angelo mio._ ” He stroked her back, slipped his hand under her shirt to run his fingers along her warm, silky skin. Their shifting had loosened the towel about his waist and it was a breath away from falling.

“I was in Greece, recently,” he told her. “I visited a family that used to be called Molpe.”

Catalina recognized the name. “What did they tell you?” she asked.

“They told me what I already know,” he said, lifting her onto the breakfast bar, the towel around his waist falling to the floor, her knees bracketing his hips.“You can’t enchant someone who already loves you and I already love you.”

Catalina’s breath caught and she cupped his face in her hands. Her wings were spread wide, blue-green feathers edged with gold from the sunlight pouring into the kitchen.

“Really?” she asked.

“Truly,” he promised and kissed her. “You’re safe. I promise you’ll always be free to fly away from me.”

Catalina made the sweetest sound of delight he had ever heard and pulled him closer. Alessandro followed her lead, planning to do so for the rest of his days.

**Author's Note:**

> ....And then Catalina loses her virginity on the breakfast bar in her godfather/boss's kitchen.


End file.
